Accessory track unit



y 5, 1970 F. A. LUNZER 3,509,662

ACCESSORY TRACK UNIT Filed Oct. 12. 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 y 5, 1970 F. A. LUNZER 3,509,662

ACCESSORY TRACK UNIT Filed Oct. 12, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Mam May 5, 1970 Filed Oct. 12. 196'? F. A. LUNZER ACCESSORY TRACK UNIT 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 F/G. 5 L

FIG. 7

United States Patent York Filed Oct. 12, 1967, Ser. No. 674,888 Int. Cl. A63h 29/00 US. Cl. 46-232 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An accessory track unit for interconnected tracks having a closed main guide groove therein of the type used with battery-operated vehicles, each of which has a depending guide which engages the groove to steer the vehicle about the tracks, wherein the accessory track unit has switching which temporarily restrains a simulated police vehicle and thereafter functions to cause, in sequence: the release of the police vehicle, upon actuation by a speeding second vehicle, for movement in simulated pursuit of the second vehicle; the production of a siren sound during the pursuit of the vehicles; and eventually the termination of the siren sound, but only after a traverse of the vehicles about the tracks.

The present invention relates generally to toy tracks for battery-operated vehicles, and more particularly to an accessory track unit which controls vehicle movement on the track to thereby increase the play value of the product.

The track hereof is of the type comprised of interconnected units defining therealong a continuous main guide groove and used with battery-operated vehicles having guide pins extending into and engaging the guide groove to steer the vehicles along the track. This type track is a very important product because of its popularity. It does require, however, auxiliary or accessory units, otherwise the repetitious running of the vehicles along the track can become monotonous. Thus, there is a constant need for these accessory units, particularly such units that have an automatic mode of operation initiated, preferably, by the vehicles themselves, are easily incorporated in the overall track system, and are capable of being economically mass produced.

Broadly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved accessory track unit meeting the foregoing and other desirable commercial requirements and effectively increasing the play value of the track. Specifically, it is an object to provide a track unit which provides vehicle movement as would occur when a car is detected speeding in a radar trap or the like; a simulated police vehicle being set in pursuit after the speeding car and a siren sounded during this cooperating play action between vehicles.

An accessory track unit demonstrating objects and advantages of the present invention includes a body having formed therein a continuation of the main guide groove and an intersecting branch guide groove, both grooves having operating therein a pair of switch members of first and second switches which are pivotally mounted on the bad). All the switch members are movable between an operative position Within a guide groove and a clearance position with respect thereto. On the first switch, which actually controls vehicle movement, the switch members in each of the guide grooves rnove simultaneously from their operative positions into clearance positions, the member in the main guide groove being actuated into such clearance position by the speeding vehicle and correspondingly clearing the other member from the branch guide groove to release the police vehicle for movement in pursuit after the speeding vehicle. On the Ill Ill.)

ice

second switch, which controls the operation of the siren, the switch members alternate between their respective positions in the guide grooves. That is, initially the one switch member of the branch guide groove is located therein (the other member, at this time, being in its clearance position), and is actuated by the moving police car to turn on the siren. The other member is then moved into the main guide groove preparatory to being actuated by a vehicle operating in this groove to turn oil the siren.

The above brief description, as Well as further objects, features and advantages of the present invention, will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following detailed description of a presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative embodiment in accordance with the present invention, when taken in conjunction, with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a partial view, in perspective, of a track having connected therein the auxiliary track unit of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view, from above, of the auxiliary track unit, on which typical battery-operated toy vehicles are illustrated in phantom perspective;

FIG. 3 is a plan view, from below, of the auxiliary track unit, best illustrating structural features of the switches thereon;

FIG. 4 is a partial view similar to FIG. 3, but with portions broken away and with the positions of movement of the switches illustrated in full line and phantom line perspective;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view, on an enlarged scale and in section taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 4, illustrating structural features of the battery-operated sound device of the auxiliary track unit;

FIG. 6 is a plan view, in section taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 5, illustrating further structural features of the sound device; and

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic view of the sound device and of the energization circuit for this device.

Reference is now made to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 1, illustrating an auxiliary track unit, generally designated 10, of the present invention. The track unit 10 is illustrated in an assembled condition with additional track units connected fore and aft to it; all units cooperating to form a continuous track system having a closed main guide groove 16. The length portion of this closed main guide groove formed in the body 10a of the auxiliary track unit 10 is designated 16a. As generally understood, one or more battery-operated vehicles, such as the simulated police car vehicle 18 and the conventional vehicle 20, operate on the track and, to this end, each vehicle has 21 depending guide 22 mounted on its front end Which engages with the main guide groove 16 to steer the vehicle about the track. The auxiliary track unit 10 hereof increases the play value of the track by controlling the operation of the vehicles 18, 20 so as to realistically simulate the sequence of events which occurs when a car is detected speeding in a so called radar trap. Specifically, the police vehicle 18, which is temporarily restrained from motion in a branch guide groove 16b (and optionally even hidden from view by the simuulated road signs 10b), is released by the speeding vehicle 20 which operates a switch in the main guide groove length segments 16a. Thereafter the vehicle 20 moves across the track onto the other interconnected tracks, as exemplified by the track 14, but with the released police vehicle 18 in pursuit. To further increase the play action between the vehicles, the unit 10 also includes a batteryoperated sound device, generally designated 23 (see FIG. 3), which is operated to produce a police vehicle siren sound soon after the release of the vehicle 18. This siren sound continues until the vehicle 20 completes a traverse around the track and again enters upon the track unit and actuates the off switch of the sound device 23.

To function in the manner just generally described, the track unit 10 includes a first switch 24 which, as may be best understood by progressive inspection of FIGS. 2-4, is pivotally mounted, as at 26, on the underside of the unit 10. Adjacent its opposite ends, the switch 24, which is formed as an elongated lever, has a set of upstanding switch members 24a and 2412 which respectively extend into the branch and main guide grooves 16b, 16a. A spring 28 secured at one end to the track unit 10 and at its other end to the switch 24 normally biases the switch against a stop 30 and thus holds the switch in the position illustrated in FIG. 3 wherein both the members 24a, 24b occupy operative positions in their respective guide grooves. Specifically, at this time the member 24a etfectively acts as a barrier to movement of the guide 22 of the police vehicle 18 through the branch guide groove 16b, thus restraining this toy vehicle from movement, while the other member 24b, set at an inclined angle in the direction of vehicle movement through the guide groove 16a, occupies a position projected across the main guide groove 16a. Upon pivotal movement of the switch 24, however, specifically in a clockwise direction about the pivot 26, both the members 24a, 24b simultaneously move from their operative positions within the guide grooves into clearance positions with respect thereto. This clockwise movement is actually produced when the guide 22 of the vehicle operating in the main guide groove 16a encounters the switch member 24b and forces the same to one side, thereby actuating, in turn, the switch 24 through pivotal clockwise movement into the position of FIG. 4. This also has the result of moving the switch member 24a, at the other end of the switch 24 from its operative position in the branch guide groove 16!) into its clearance position with respect thereto, and thus causes the release of the police car vehicle 18 for movement through the branch guide groove 16b into the main guide groove 16a.

The track 10 additionally includes a second switch 32 also pivotally mounted, as at 34, to the underside of the track. Switch 32 has three significant structural features. At one extremity, it has an electrically conductive contact 32a which is moved during pivotal movement of the switch 32 from a clearance position, as depicted in FIG. 3, into a circuit-completing position bridging stationary contacts 23a of the energization circuit of the sound device 23. Between the contact 32a and pivot 34 there is a switch member 32b movable between an operative position in the branch guide groove 16b into a clearance position with respect thereto, these positions of movement being depicted in full and phantom perspective in FIG. 4. The third significant feature of the switch 32 is a switch member 32c which functions just like the just described switch 32b, but with respect to the main guide groove 16a. A difference, however, which should be noted between the switch members 32b and 320 and also between this set and the set of switch members 24a, 24b of the first switch 24, is that the members 32b and 32c alternate between their operative and clearance positions with respect to their respective guide grooves. That is, when the member 32b is in an operative position blocking the branch guide groove 16!: the other switch member 32c is in its clearance position with respect to main guide grooves 16a, and vice versa. Moreover, the normal position for the switch 32 is that depicted in full line in FIG. 4, to wit: the position in which the contact 32a is in its olf position with respect to the energization circuit of the sound device 23; the switch member 32b is in its blocking position in the branch guide groove 16]); and the switch member 32c is in its clearance position with respect to the main guide groove 16a. When the police car vehicle 18 is released for movement in the manner previously noted, however, the guide 22 thereof is adapted to strike the switch member 32b and, in so doing, actuate the switch 32 through counter-clockwise pivotal movement. This counter-clockwise movement results in: the contact 32a moving into its circuit-completing position bridging the energization contacts 23a of sound device 23 and the operation of this sound device to produce a siren noise; and the switch member 32a moving from its clearance position into its blocking position across the main guide groove 16a. Thus, when the vehicle 20, which leads the police car vehicle 18, has completed its traverse around the track and again enters upon the auxiliary track unit 10 it will encounter the switch 320 and actuate the same through clockwise movement. As should be readily appreciated, this movement returns the switch member 32b and contact 32a to their original positions. Naturally, when the contact 32a is removed from between the circuit contacts 23a, the operation of the sound device 23 terminates.

Although any one of a number of sound devices 23 could be effectively employed with the track unit 10' hereof, the device preferred is that illustrated in FIGS. 5-7 to which attention is now specifically directed. The device 23 includes a motor 23b which powers a slotted cylindrical member 230 in rotation past the openings 23d of a stationary housing and, in a well understood manner, produces a characteristic siren-like sound. The power source of the motor 23b are conventional batteries B which are electrically connected to the motor via circuitry including the previously noted spaced-apart contacts 23a. Also, as previously noted, located on an end of the switch 32 is an electrically conductive element or contact 32a which, as best shown in FIG. 5, is movable from a clearance position into a position bridging the contacts 23a. To facilitate this, one of the contacts 23a is prefer ably formed as a leaf spring along which the Contact 32a is slidably movable during movement between its clearance and circuit-closing positions.

A latitude of modification, change and substitution is intended in the foregoing disclosure and in some instances some features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scope of the invention herein.

What is claimed is:

1. An accessory track unit for use in a toy vehicle track system, said accessory track unit comprising a body having therein a main guide groove extending from one edge of said body to another and an intersecting branch guide groove terminating on said body, and a first switch assembly mounted on said body and movable with respect to said body between a normal position and a release position, said first switch assembly having a first switch member operating in said branch guide groove and a second switch member operating in said main guide groove, said first switch member obstructing said branch guide groove when said first switch assembly is in said normal position thus holding a first vehicle temporarily against movement from said branch guide groove into said main guide groove and being in a clearance position with respect to said branch guide groove when said first switch assembly is in said release position, said second switch member being positioned in said main guide groove so as to make contact with second vehicle operating in said main guide groove, said contact moving said first switch assembly from said normal position to said release position thereby releasing said first vehicle for movement into said main groove for cooperating play action with said second vehicle.

2. An accessory track unit as defined in claim 1 further including a sound device secured to said body and a second switch assembly controlling said sound device, said second switch assembly having an on position activating said sound device and an off position deactivating said sound device, said second switch assembly including a first switch member operating in said branch guide groove and a second switch member operating in said main guide groove, said second switch assembly in said off position maintaining sad first switch member in a vehicle contacting position in said branch guide groove and maintaining said second switch member in a clearance position with respect to said main guide groove, said second switch assembly in said on position maintaining said first switch member in a clearance position with respect to said branch guide groove and maintaining said second switch member in a vehicle contacting position in said main guide groove whereby the contact of a vehicle traveling on said branch guide groove with said first switch member moves said second switch assembly from said off position to said on position activating said sound device and whereby the contact of a vehicle traveling on said main guide groove with said second switch member moves said second switch assembly from said on position to said off position deactivating said sound device.

3. An accessory track unit as defined in claim 2 wherein said second switch member of said first switch assembly and said second switch member of said second switch assembly are located in said main guide groove in the direction of travel of toy vehicles in said main guide groove before the intersection of said main guide groove and said branch guide groove.

4. In combination, a track comprised of interconnected track units defining there along a continuous closed main guide groove for operating a plurality of vehicles thereon, each vehicle of which has a depending guide adapted to engage with said main guide groove to steer said vehicle about said track, and an accessory track unit connected in said track comprising a body having formed therein a segment of said main guide groove and an intersecting branch guide groove, a first switch pivotally mounted on said body for movement between a normal position and a release position and having first and second switch members thereon respectively operating in said branch and said main guide grooves, said first switch assembly in said normal position locating said first switch member in a position obstructing said branch guide groove so as to engage said depending guide of a first vehicle, thereby restraining said first vehicle from entering said main guide groove, said first switch assembly in said release position locating said first switch member in a clearance position with respect to said branch guide groove releasing said first vehicle, said first switch assembly in said normal position locating said second switch member in the path of the depending guide of a second vehicle traveling on said main guide groove so that passage of said second vehicle over said second switch member rotates said first switch assembly from said normal position to said release position releasing said first vehicle; a second switch assembly pivotally mounted on said body for movement between an on position and an off position and having first and second switch members respectively operating in said branch and said main guide grooves, in said off position said first switch member of said second switch assembly obstructing said branch guide groove and engaging said depending guide of one of said vehicles to rotate said second switch assembly from said off position to said on position, in said on position said first switch member of said second switch assembly obstructing said main guide groove and engaging said depending guide of one of said vehicles to rotate said second switch assembly from said on position to said off position, and a battery operated sound device operatively connected to be operated by pivotal movement of said second switch such that the operation thereof is commenced when said second switch is in said on position and is terminated when said second switch is in said off position.

'5. The combination as defined in claim 4 wherein those of said switch members of said first and second switches which operate in said main guide groove are located, in the direction of travel in said main guide groove of said first and second toy vehicles, before the intersection of said main guide groove and said branch guide groove.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,027,682 4/1962 Schlau 46202 X 3,154,024 10/1964 Einfalt 46202 X 3,239,963 3/1966 Smith et al. 27386.2 X

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,198,263 3/ 1960 Germany.

E. BARRY SHAY, Primary Examiner ROBERT F. CUTTING, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 46202 

